Solstad wins charter for latest subsea construction vessel

Feb. 21, 2013
Solstad Offshore has commissioned a newbuild OSCV 03 offshore construction vessel from STX OSV.

Offshore staff

SKUDENESHAVN, Norway – Solstad Offshore has commissioned a newbuild OSCV 03 offshore construction vessel from STX OSV. It is expected to be delivered in spring 2014.

Following delivery, the vessel will work for Reach Subsea under a five-year charter, extendable by up to three years. Value of the firm part of the contract is $114 million.

The new vessel will be 121 m (397 ft) long, 23 m (75 ft) wide, and have a working deck of about 1,300 sq m (13,993 sq ft). It will be equipped with a 250-ton lift capacity subsea crane and accommodation for 100 personnel.

Design focus is on low fuel consumption, and precautions in accordance with DNV’s Clean Design requirements.

With this new investment, Solstad will own and operate 21 subsea construction vessels of which two are under construction. All are chartered worldwide to subsea contractors. Additionally, the company owns 22 anchor handling vessels and nine platform supply vessels.

Another support vessel operator, Vroon, has taken delivery ofVOS Sweet, a DP-2 subsea support vessel (SSV) built at the Fujian Southeast Shipyard in China. This is as sister vessel to the VOS Shine with enhanced DP specification, and will be followed by a larger newbuild SSV, to be named VOS Sugar, in 2015.

VOS Sweet has undergone final outfitting work and installation of its crane at the Oranjewerf Shipyard in the Netherlands. It will soon start operations offshore Europe under the management of Den-Helder-based Vroon Offshore Services.

2/21/2013